Chapter 697 Exposed
"A bunch of audacious fools! You dare to stop people from the Southwest Prefecture? Deduct a month's performance bonus for all of you!"
Looking at Zhou Zeyao, Chen Yang immediately felt strange. The first time he saw Zhou Zeyao, the man was just an ordinary person, more like a traditional martial artist, extremely reserved.
But now, Zhou Zeyao not only wore an upgraded high-class suit, but his leather shoes were also polished to a shine.
His slicked-back hair made Chen Yang almost not recognize him.
Although a closer look revealed it was indeed Zhou Zeyao, Chen Yang felt something was off. The man's every move was unlike the Zhou Zeyao he knew.
Zhou Zeyao seemed to notice Chen Yang's gaze. The moment their eyes met, a subtle smile flickered across Zhou Zeyao's lips.
Chen Yang was stunned. Before he could react, Zhou Zeyao said to the people from the Southwest Prefecture, "Please come in, sirs. These fellows are new here and don't understand the rules. I'll teach them a lesson."
The other martial artists from the Zhou family did not come over, merely watching from a distance.
Although mining had been ongoing on the mountain, producing a lot of dust, the Zhou family had built a very luxurious courtyard on the outskirts of the mining area.
The deepest courtyard was even covered with a glass roof, and the interior was equipped with oxygen generators. The environment inside was like a paradise, awe-inspiring.
After hearing the requirements from the Southwest Prefecture, Zhou Zeyao did not agree immediately. Instead, he made a phone call to Jiang Luo in front of everyone.
"Brother Jiang, what's this game you're playing? I don't quite understand."
"Haha, Brother Zhou, what are you talking about? It's just a routine task..."
After a few minutes of conversation, Zhou Zeyao hung up the phone with satisfaction and said to everyone, "Please rest here for a few minutes. I'll have people prepare the necessary items. It's a dangerous mining area down there, so safety precautions must be in place."
After speaking, Zhou Zeyao quietly whispered a few words to the manager beside him.
Soon, tea and fruit were served.
Zhou Zeyao also began to inquire about the members of the team, intentionally or unintentionally. The people from the Southwest Prefecture naturally introduced themselves.
When the conversation turned to Chen Yang, the Southwest Prefecture representative intended to gloss over it. However, Zhou Zeyao suddenly asked, "Oh! So you are a professor from Southwest University! Southwest University's geology program is nationally renowned. How come I haven't heard of Professor Chen before?"
This question immediately made the leader of the Southwest Prefecture break out in a cold sweat. Others might not know that Chen Yang was impersonating a professor, but he did!
Could it be that the Zhou family had received some inside information?
But upon recalling that he himself only found out about this just before setting off, he immediately felt that such information could not have leaked.
He could only exchange a look with Chen Yang, telling him to fend for himself; this was something only he could handle.
Chen Yang's eyebrows twitched slightly. What was this Zhou Zeyao trying to do?
Chen Yang even suspected that his identity had been exposed. But if it were truly exposed, Zhou Zeyao would certainly not be in this state.
"I just returned from abroad. It's normal that you haven't heard of me. I'm just a nominal figure this time, so don't pay too much attention to me."
In response to Chen Yang's answer, Zhou Zeyao's smile deepened.
"So you're a professor returning from abroad. My apologies!"
Fortunately, Zhou Zeyao did not press further. A few minutes later, the mining equipment was ready.
As Chen Yang was about to descend, he heard Zhou Zeyao say from behind, "Since Professor Chen is just a nominal member, it's best not to go down for such a dangerous task. Would you like to stay for a cup of tea?"
As if worried that Chen Yang might not agree to stay, Zhou Zeyao added, "I thought Professor Chen looked familiar before. Now that I think about it, I think I saw you once in the back mountain?"
Chen Yang's heart was immediately filled with immense shock.
This Zhou Zeyao truly remembered everything!
This last sentence was clearly a reminder of the incident in the back mountain.
Chen Yang turned his head, his gaze fixed on Zhou Zeyao, and said word by word, "Since there is good tea, I should certainly stay and savor it."
Zhou Zeyao made a gesture of invitation, and Chen Yang followed him leisurely.
The leader of the Southwest Prefecture, seeing that Chen Yang was not going down, was confused and wanted to remind him. Since they had entered the mine, the most important thing was to collect evidence. Why was he suddenly going for tea?
Chen Yang seemed to sense the movement behind him and said loudly, "I'll wait for you all upstairs. Be careful."
Meng Qingxue, who had no intention of going down anyway, immediately followed Chen Yang's lead. But before she could speak, she heard Chen Yang say word by word, "Stay away from me. No matter what happens, if anything seems wrong, leave immediately!"
Chen Yang's heart was filled with extreme vigilance. This Zhou Zeyao made Chen Yang feel a sense of danger.
It was a pressure that even the peak of Grandmaster realm had never given him!
Although Meng Qingxue didn't know what had happened, seeing Chen Yang's serious expression, she understood that there was likely danger.
Zhou Zeyao led Chen Yang to a private room. Seeing Meng Qingxue trying to follow, he chuckled and said, "There are only two servings of this tea."
The meaning was clear: only Chen Yang could enter.
Chen Yang's brow furrowed, but he still said to Meng Qingxue, "Wait for me by the door."
After the two entered the room, Zhou Zeyao immediately used his spiritual power to seal off the surroundings.
Zhou Zeyao looked at Chen Yang, a sly smile appearing on his face, "Now that it's just the two of us, aren't you going to take off that clown-like mask?"
Chen Yang understood as soon as he heard this that he had truly been exposed.
But Chen Yang did not take off the mask. This mask could only be used once. After taking it off and walking out, he would be completely exposed.
Zhou Zeyao had led him to this room and blocked the outside with his spiritual power. Chen Yang didn't know what the man intended to do, but one thing Chen Yang was certain of.
Since Zhou Zeyao did not intend to expose his false identity in front of everyone, there must be some secret!
Seeing that Chen Yang did not move, Zhou Zeyao shrugged nonchalantly, "Since you don't want to take it off, it doesn't matter. We're all wearing masks anyway."
Then his tone changed, and he stared intently at Chen Yang, saying, "I called you here alone because I wanted to ask you something."
"I worked hard to find a successor, and now you've taken him away, and you've even demolished half of my home. How do you plan to compensate me?"